In Common
by Sarapsys
Summary: Things Zuko has in common with other members of the Gaang.  Drabbles at the WAT.
1. Meditation

_Aang_

"Hey Aang," a voice rings out, startling him out of his meditative state. "Do—"

"What are you _doing_?"

The raspy demand is quiet, barely audible above the breeze.

"I'm talking to my friend," Katara snaps back at Zuko. "What are _you_ doing?"

"Can't you see Avatar Aang is meditating?" Zuko hisses back, like a prince who's caught a servant spitting on the royal shrine. Said Avatar rolls his eyes slightly. As though that's ever stopped Katara from bugging him. Or Sokka. Or Toph. Or anyone else, for that matter.

"Do you think I can't tell when my own friend is meditating?" Her emphasis on _my own _is sharp enough to cut.

"And how do you like it when people interrupt _your_ meditation?"

"...Waterbenders don't meditate," Katara retorts after a beat, patronizingly.

"You don't? I thought all benders did." The firebender's honest surprise is quickly overtaken again by irritation. "Actually, that _isn't_ very surprising."

"I haven't seen _you_ meditating. Not enough peace of mind, thanks to everything you've done?"

"I do it at sunrise. When no one is around to _bother _me," Zuko says evenly. "It's incredibly rude—and annoying—to interrupt someone's meditation."

"Yeah, it really is," Aang snaps, turning around. "Do you guys mind?"

Both the firebender and the waterbender flush, chagrined.

"Sorry," and "Sorry, Aang…" and "Come on, we should leave him be," and "Don't you tell me what to do!" jumble behind him in whispers as the pair of them leave the veranda to him.

Settling again, Aang relaxes his shoulders and wonders if it would annoy Zuko if he joined him at sunrise. No interruptions would be nice for a change.


	2. Swords

_Sokka_

After family, Sokka believes most strongly in reason and logic. And so despite his initial distrust of Zuko, he's willing to act logically based on the facts. The facts are:

1. Sokka has a sword.

2. Zuko has a sword.

3. They both have some time on their hands when Zuko's not teaching Aang.

4. Battle could always be imminent and they need to keep their edge.

Enough said.

Nobody except Katara is surprised when they start sparring every afternoon. Everybody but Katara is glad that soon after Zuko actually joins them at the fire sometimes instead of hanging uncertainly in doorways.


	3. Aristocracy

_Toph_

Zuko hasn't gotten much better at cracking jokes, but that doesn't mean he's stopped trying. Side effect of existing in Sokka's general vicinity, probably. That's fine with Toph, because though the jokes are bad, the trying is funny.

Of course, even a blind man is bound to find a door after walking into enough walls. Not that it's ever been a problem for her.

Aang's regaling them with another story about his adventures with Kuzon in the Fire Nation as it was a hundred years ago. He's been doing that a lot lately, probably, Toph thinks, trying to make Zuko feel more comfortable (from the firebender's reactions, usually only half succeeding, while Katara gets more and more irritated).

"And then we heard someone coming so we ducked behind the doors, since nobody but the Fire Sages were supposed to be there, and you'll never guess who it was!" Aang is rambling on animatedly, bouncing in place.

"…The man with the black helmet?" Zuko suggests half under his breath, and for once his timing is perfect and it's _hilarious_.

"The what now?" Sokka asks quizzically, while Aang _huh_'s in confusion and Toph snorts, then starts giggling.

"The—never mind," Zuko is quick to back down, shifting uncomfortably in his seat on the stone floor.

"…And why is Toph laughing?"

For some reason, the fact that nobody else seems to get the reference just makes it even funnier. "He must have seen a crooked feather on a sparrowkeet and realized where they were," Toph manages, not able to make it quite deadpan, and she can feel Zuko shaking with silent laughter.

"A hook-shaped dust cloud," he says, and they're both done for, nearly falling over each other laughing.

"…Either you two have gotten a hold of some cactus juice, or I'm missing something here," Sokka said, brows quirking.

"It's—this ancient epic," Zuko says, stifling his laughter. "The Epic of Ran Meng."

"…Eh?"

"It's this really awful old poem," the former prince tries to explain, "about this sage named Ran Meng, and this giant white toad—"

"It's the longest, most boring story you can imagine," Toph interjects. "It's really the same story over, and over, and _over, _and over again. The guy had no imagination."

"No kidding," Zuko agrees fervently. "We had to read it at the Boys' Academy and we all hated it. But—"

"_I _couldn't read so I had it read _to _me," Toph says, crossing her arms and turning her face in his general direction. "It took six _months._"

"…Ugh. That's horrible," Zuko concedes to her oneupsmanship. "Anyway, the black helmet guy just keeps popping up wherever Ran Meng goes, but it's always—"

"Hm. Someone who shows up unwelcome wherever you go. Sounds strangely familiar," Katara says, and that just kills the whole mood, which was actually relaxing a little.

Toph's getting sick of that. So she stage-whispers, "He was probably able to find you because you guys kept leaving grains of sand out of place!"

Given how tense Katara is, Toph figures she's probably glaring at Zuko, but even that can't keep him from having to smother a huff of laughter with one hand.

"I still have no idea what's going on," Sokka says forlornly.

"Me neither," says Aang.

"Count yourself lucky," Toph chokes out through her giggling. "You were spared the joys of an aristocratic education."


	4. Faith

**It's kind of horrible but whenever I'm hideously busy I get this sudden drive to mop up half-done fics. Sorry this last chapter took so long, it took a bit of simmering on the backburner for me to figure out exactly how I wanted to make it work.**_  
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><p><em>Katara<em>

"—not sure if Katara would be willing to," Aang is saying, frustrated. "I mean, when you guys saved Chief Hakoda and the others, I thought she might come around, but…" he sighs.

On hearing her name, Katara quickly ducks back into the shadows. She didn't catch a glimpse of the speakers, but she has a pretty good idea who Aang is talking to.

Zuko. Simmering at the thought of them talking behind her back in the middle of the night like this, she settles in to listen.

But it's Toph who answers. "You're not giving Her Sweetness enough credit for stubbornness, Twinkletoes. She's like an earthbender when she's made up her mind about something, and she thinks she's made up her mind about Zuko. She just needs time to wear down."

And then Sokka too. "Yeah, just give her time. Eventually she's going to realize that she and Zuko are a lot more alike than she thinks."

Katara has to bite her fist to keep from scoffing out loud at _that_.

"Like what?" Aang says despairingly. "I can't get them to see eye-to-eye on _anything_."

"Well, for one, they both really believe in you."

"…Thanks, Sokka. I sort of thought you all—"

"You're saying it wrong, Snoozles," Toph says. "Of course we believe in you, Twinkletoes. I've seen what you can do, and I know you can beat the Firelord. But when I first came with you guys, it wasn't because of the war or because you were the Avatar. It was—well, a lot of reasons. Adventure, getting away from my parents, having friends. The war stuff all kind of sank in later."

"Yeah," Sokka admits. "Look, Aang, it's taken me a while to get used to all this—spirit-y magic stuff—"

"Spiritual mumbo jumbo," Toph provides helpfully.

"It's not mumbo jumbo," Aang snaps, but Sokka isn't willing to be sidetracked.

"Right, but what I'm saying is, I didn't believe in that kind of thing until I saw it for myself. But Katara, when she found out you were the Avatar—she was ready to abandon our whole tribe, even me, to help you. She would have gone to the ends of the earth for you before she'd even known you for a week."

"Zuko's done the same thing," Toph picks up the thread, uncharacteristically quiet. "He made a big leap of faith in coming here to help us. To help _you_, Aang, even though he didn't really know you, or if you would even let him. He came because you're the Avatar. And he burned all his bridges behind him."

"And come on, have you heard him going on about destiny and balance and stuff? He's as bad as Katara raving on about hope all the time," Sokka says, apparently incapable of not getting a few jabs in there, but his voice becomes serious again. "They're both true believers, Aang. I think they both believe in you as a friend, but they also believe in the Avatar. And eventually they're going to realize that it's something they have in common."

Katara's had enough. Shaking her head fiercely, she turns silently on her heel and stalks back to bed. To say Zuko could possibly want to help Aang as much as _she_ does! To compare the sacrifices _she's_ made to what that spoiled _Prince_—her home, her family….

She falters for a moment, doubting herself.


End file.
